SKODA FABIA 2003 1.G / 6Y Repair Manual

Lights and Visibility
60
Switching windscreen wipers off
– Move the lever back into its home position .
The windscreen wipers and the windscreen washer system only operate
if the ignition is switched on.
The rear window will be wiped again if the window wipers are on when
reverse gear is selected.
The windscreen washer nozzles are heated* when the ignition is switched
on.
Top up with wash liquid ⇒page 185.
Caution
In frosty weather, please first of all check whether the windscreen wiper
blades are not frozen to the windscreen before switching them on.
Switching on windscreen wipers when the blades are frozen to the wind-
screen may result in damage both to the blades and the motor of the wind-
screen wipers!
Headlight cleaning system*
Washing of the headlights lenses occurs for approximately 1 second
about 3 seconds after movement of the lever into position ⇒page 59,
fig. 39. You should remove stubborn dirt (such as insect residues) from the head-
light lenses at regular intervals, for example when refuelling. Please refer
to the notes
⇒page 162.
You should remove any snow from the fixtures of the washer nozzles and
clear ice in winter with a de-icing spray in order to ensure proper operation
of the cleaning system.
Replacing wiper blades on the windscreen wipers
Taking off the wiper blade
– Fold windscreen wiper arm away from the windscreen and position the wiper blade at right angles to the wiper arm
⇒fig. 40 .
– Press the securing spring in the direction of arrow and press the wiper blade at the same time in the direction of arrow ⇒ .
WARNING
Properly maintained windscreen wiper blades are essential for
clear visibility and safe driving ⇒page 60.
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Fig. 40 Wiper blades
for the windscreen
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Attaching a wiper blade
– Push the wiper blade over the wiper arm. The securing spring
must click into place audibly.
Windscreen wiper blades in proper condition are essential to obtain good
visibility. Wiper blades should not be allowed to become dirtied by dust,
insect remains and preserving wax.
Juddering or smearing of the wiper blades could be due to wax residues
left on the windscreen by vehicle washing in automatic vehicle wash
systems. It is therefore important to degrease the lips of the winscreen
wiper blades after every pass through an automatic vehicle wash
system .
Replacing the wiper blade on the rear window wiper
Taking off the wiper blade
– Fold the window wiper arm away ⇒fig. 41 .
– Hold the window wiper arm at the top end with one hand.
– Take hold of the wiper blade with the other hand and pull the wiper blade in the direction of arrow .
Attaching a wiper blade
– Interlock the wiper blade into the window wiper arm - see arrow .
The same remarks apply here as for ⇒page 60, “Replacing wiper blades
on the windscreen wipers”.
WARNING
•There is a risk of damage to the windscreen if the windscreen
wiper is used carelessly.
•You should clean the wiper blades regularly with a windscreen
cleaner in order to avoid any smears. Clean a wiper blade with a
sponge or cloth if it is very dirty, for example from insect residues.
•Replace the windscreen wiper blades once or twice a year for
safety reasons. Windscreen wiper blades are available from Škoda
dealers.
Fig. 41 Wiper blade for
the rear window
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Lights and Visibility
62
Rear-view mirror
You can adjust the exterior mirrors electrically*.
Adjust the reverse view mirror before commencing to drive so
that there is a clear view to the rear.
Dimming the interior mirror
– Pull the lever on the bottom edge of the mirror toward rear (the
lever on the interior mirror must point forwards in it home posi-
tion).
Heating of the external mirror*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
 ⇒ fig. 42 . Adjusting left and right exterior mirrors*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
. The movement of the mirror
surface is identical to the movement of the rotary knob. The
right hand exterior mirror is adjusted at the same time on vehi-
cles with electrically operated power windows.
Adjusting the right-hand exterior mirror*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
. The movement of the mirror
surface is identical to the movement of the rotary knob.
The exterior mirror heater only operates when the engine is running.
Note
•Do not touch the surface of the exterior mirrors if the exterior mirror
heater is switched on.
•Contact your Škoda dealer if a fault exists with the power setting of the
exterior mirrors.
•You can set the exterior mirrors by hand, if the power setting function
fails at any time, by pressing on the edge of the mirror surface.
Fig. 42 Inner part of
door: Rotary knob
WARNING
Convex (curved outward) or aspherical exterior mirrors increase
the vision field. They do, however, make objects appear smaller in
the mirror. These mirrors are only of limited use, therefore, for esti-
mating distances to the following vehicles.

Seats and Stowage63
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Seats and Stowage
Front seats
Basic information
The front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be
matched to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger.
Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for
•safely and quickly reaching the controls,
•a relaxed, fatigue-free body position,
•achieving the maximum protection offered by the seat belts and
the airbag system.
The chapters which follow describe the procedure which you should adopt
for adjusting the seats.
Adjusting the front seats
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever ⇒fig. 43 up and push the seat into the
desired position.
WARNING
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being
driven - never place your feet on the instrument panel or on the
surfaces of the seats. This is particularly important for the front
seat passenger. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it
becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an acci-
dent.
•It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a
distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel.
Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag
system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard! The front
seats and the head restraints must always also be correctly
adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
WARNING (continued)
•Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects
may get behind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre.
You would then no longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or
accelerate.
Fig. 43 Controls for
adjusting the seat
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Seats and Stowage
64
– Release the lever and push the seat further until the lock is heard to engage.
Adjusting height of seat*
– Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever downwards.
Adjusting angle of backrest
– Relieve any pressure on the backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the handwheel to adjust the angle of the backrest.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be
pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that
the upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly
bent arms.
Caution
Vehicles in the Praktik version should not experience contact between the
backrest and the partition wall after adjusting the angle of the backrest
since there is danger of damage to the seat cover through rubbing when
driving.
WARNING
•Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk
of injury!
•Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without
care can lead to bruises or injuries.
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving
otherwise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of
the airbag system - risk of injury!
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Head restraintsAdjusting the height of a head restraint
– Grasp the side of the head restraint with both hands and push
it up or down in direction of arrow ⇒fig. 44 . Best protection
is achieved if the top edge of the head restraint is at least at
eye level or higher.
Adjusting the angle of a head restraint*
– The head restraint can be matched to the head of the occu- pant by adjusting the angle in the direction of the arrow
⇒fig. 44 . Adjusting the angle of the head restraint provides
enhanced comfort for the user.
Removing and installing a head restraint
– Pull the head restraint up out of the backrest of the seat as far as the stop (on the rear head restraints fold down the seat
backrest).
– Press the locking button in direction of arrow ⇒fig. 45 and
pull the head restraint out.
– To re-insert the head restraint, push it down into the backrest of the seat far enough until you hear the locking button
engage.
The head restraints on the front seats can be adjusted for tipping angle*
and height. The outer head restraints are not adjustable for height. The
middle head restraints* can be adjusted to two settings ⇒page 66.
The head restraints must be adjusted to match the size of the seat occu-
pant. Correctly adjusted head restraints together with the seat belts offer
effective protection for the occupants.
Fig. 44 Adjusting head
restraint
Fig. 45 Removing a
head restraint
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Seats and Stowage
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Caution
Vehicles in the Praktik version should not experience contact between the
head restraint cover and the partition wall after adjusting the head
restraints since there is danger of damage to the seat cover through
rubbing when driving.
Middle rear head restraints*
The middle rear head restraints can be adjusted to two settings, the upper
one and the lower one. The upper setting is interlocked into place. You must always press the securing button
⇒fig. 46 when removing the
head restraint and when pushing it out of the upper setting into the lower
setting.
Heating the front seats*
The seating and leaning surfaces of the front seats can be heated
when the ignition is switched on.
WARNING
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted in order to offer
effective protection to the occupants in the event of an accident.
Fig. 46 Rear seats: the
position of the middle
rear head restraints
WARNING
The head restraint on the middle rear seat must always be in the
upper locked position when someone is sitting there.
Fig. 47 Dash panel:
Control dial for heating
the front seats

Seats and Stowage67
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Front seats
– Heating on the driver's ⇒page 66, fig. 47 and front
pasenger's seat can be switched on and regulated by turning
the control dial as required.
– The system is switched off by turning the control dial to the home position “0”.
Caution
•You should not kneel on the seats and avoid applying pressure at
specific points in order to avoid damaging the heating elements of the seat
heaters.
•Do not clean the seats moist ⇒page 164.
Note
The seat heating should only be switched on when the engine is running.
This has a significant effect of saving on the battery capacity.
Rear seats
Folding the rear seats forwards
Fig. 48 Folding the
rear seats forwards
Fig. 49 Unlock the seat
backrests

Seats and Stowage
68
The rear seats and the seat backrest can be folded forwards to
increase the volume of the luggage compartment ⇒page 69.
Both parts of the bank can be folded forward individually on vehi-
cles with a divided rear seat*.
Folding the rear seat forwards
– In order to avoid causing any damage when folding the rear seat forward it is important to adjust the front seats so that no
damage can occur when this is done.
– Pull up the rear seats in the direction of arrow ⇒page 67,
fig. 48 and fold forwards in direction of arrow .
– Pull up the unlocking knob on the seat backrest and fold the seat backrest forwards ⇒page 67, fig. 49 .
– Pull the head restraints out of the seat backrest.
– The head restraints can be inserted into the relevant holes of the folded forwards rear seats ⇒fig. 50 .
– Fold the seat backrest forwards completely.
Fold the rear seat back into position
– Install the head restraints in the partially lifted rear seat back- rest.
– Then push the seat backrest back into the upright position until it clicks into place - check by pulling on it.
– Fold the rear seats back into its original position.
Inserting a head restraint in the rear seats
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WARNING
•The belt lock and pelvic belt must be in their original position
after folding back the rear seats and seat backrest - they must be
ready to use.
•The seat backrests must be securely interlocked in position so
that no objects in the luggage compartment can slide forward if
there is sudden braking - risk of injury.
•Ensure that the seat backrest on the rear seats is securely inter-
locked in position when the vehicle is fitted with three-point safety
belts for the middle rear seat place. It is only then that the three-
point seat belt can reliably fulfil its function.
Fig. 50 Rear seats:
Head restraint in rear
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– The rear head restraints can be inserted into the relevant
holes of the folded forwards rear seats.
Remove the rear seats
The luggage compar tment can be increased in size by removing
the rear seats
Removing
– Fold the rear seats forwards completely
– Press the wire clamp in the direction of the arrow ⇒fig. 51
and remove the rear seats from its holder.
Installing
– Press the wire clamp in the direction of the arrow and place the seat upholstery in its holder. – Fold the rear seats back into its original position.
Pedals
You should use only footmats which do not obstruct the movement of the
pedals and have an anti-slip protection.
Operation of the pedals must not be hindered!
Luggage compartment
Loading the luggage compartment
Please observe the following in the interest of having good
handling c
haracteristics of your vehicle:
Fig. 51 Remove the
rear seats
WARNING
•Greater pedal distances may be needed when there is a fault in
the brake system.
•Do not place any footmats or other additional floor coverings in
the area of the pedals in order to ensure that all the pedals can be
fully depressed and are able to return unobstructed to their initial
position - risk of accident!
•There must be no objects on the floor which could roll under the
pedals. You would then no longer be able to apply the brakes,
operate the clutch or accelerator - risk of accident!